A PROJECT that helps parents in Nuneaton deal with the stresses of family life desperately needs help itself....

A PROJECT that helps parents in Nuneaton deal with the stresses of family life desperately needs help itself.

Home Start is looking for volunteers to meet the demands for its service.

It wants people who can give emotional and practical support to any family with at least one child who is finding it difficult to cope.

The scheme has been operating in the area for the past 13 years.

Organiser Kirsten Barnacle said: ?Time spent with a family varies. Volunteers may be helping a young parent with a new baby, building their confidence and emphasising the pleasures of family life.

?They may be sharing an outing with a family that finds it difficult to get out of the house. The visits might involve offering an extra pair of hands to a family with several children or providing a listening ear to a mother who is suffering from post-natal illness.

?By visiting a family in their own home and offering friendship, Home Start volunteers represent a lifeline for many parents.?

Volunteers, who undertake a 10-session preparation course and have all out-of-pocket expenses paid, must be aged between 18 and 80.

Organisers say the only requirement is for volunteers to have an understanding of the pressures parents face and to be able to spare two to four hours a week.

One volunteer, helping in Nuneaton for seven years, said: ?I have given a lot to Home Start over the years but I have had much more in return.

?The best part is meeting new people. I wouldn?t have had the opportunity to meet these people if I hadn?t been a Home Start volunteer.?